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Restoring your weak floppy door hinges.

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Old Mar 25, 2022 | 01:41 PM
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Default Restoring your weak floppy door hinges.

Remove the door panel, that is a different DIY. Remove the upper hinge cover, easy. Spray white paint, to make witness marks over the bolts on both hinges. This will make installation much easier. I use a tall step ladder and straps to hold the door straight when removing it. Remove all 8 hinge bolts and pull the door free of the car. Tap up to remove the hinge pins and pull the hinges apart. Parts you will need,,,, I got the brass bushings from NAPA for about $2 a hinge. You can get the hinge pins from many suppliers online. I found the pins wouldn't pound into the hinges because the knurled edge was to big, so I ground it down a bit.
Now for the springs. The springs will have a deep groove worn into the spot that holds the door inplace. This is why the door swings to easy. You can buy new springs or use the old ones. IF you use the old springs you need to switch the springs from door to door. This way the new side of the spring is now hitting the hinge stops. Getting the springs out isn't easy, look up the DIY online. Basically you use a bent screw driver to pull the tension off the spring and hit up on the spring to pop it loose. On the top end of the spring there is a slot that holds the spring in place. You have to grind a new slot on the other side. Now install the springs before putting the hinge back together. Put the top end of the spring in the hole past the slot you just made, use your bent screwdriver to push the bottom of the spring and hit the bottom up into place. Another Youtube DIY.
Install the new brass bushings. Don't hit them with a hammer, they crush very easy. Push them in with a vise grip protected by flat edge or a block of wood. The top one pushes in from the top, the bottom one pushes in from the bottom. Now put the hinges together. If the pin wont pound flush, grind the knurled edge more.
Now you can install the door. The white paint makes lining up the door to the original position easy. If your doors were misaligned at the beginning you can now adjust them. Boom,,, no more loose doors!




Last edited by kodpkd; Apr 5, 2022 at 10:55 AM.
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Old Apr 5, 2022 | 10:57 AM
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I just watched the Willcox video on spring replacement.
Willcox needs to change the video. The 2 1/4 inch they talk about the spring being to long has nothing to do with the spring fitting correctly. The bottom loop is longer than an original spring but doesn't affect the fit. If you cut the end off they talk about, it for sure wont fit. The critical measurement is from the end on the top loop to the end on the bottom loop, and this is perfect on the aftermarket springs.
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Old Apr 8, 2022 | 04:21 PM
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Default

Originally Posted by kodpkd
Remove the door panel, that is a different DIY. Remove the upper hinge cover, easy. Spray white paint, to make witness marks over the bolts on both hinges. This will make installation much easier. I use a tall step ladder and straps to hold the door straight when removing it. Remove all 8 hinge bolts and pull the door free of the car. Tap up to remove the hinge pins and pull the hinges apart. Parts you will need,,,, I got the brass bushings from NAPA for about $2 a hinge. You can get the hinge pins from many suppliers online. I found the pins wouldn't pound into the hinges because the knurled edge was to big, so I ground it down a bit.
Now for the springs. The springs will have a deep groove worn into the spot that holds the door inplace. This is why the door swings to easy. You can buy new springs or use the old ones. IF you use the old springs you need to switch the springs from door to door. This way the new side of the spring is now hitting the hinge stops. Getting the springs out isn't easy, look up the DIY online. Basically you use a bent screw driver to pull the tension off the spring and hit up on the spring to pop it loose. On the top end of the spring there is a slot that holds the spring in place. You have to grind a new slot on the other side. Now install the springs before putting the hinge back together. Put the top end of the spring in the hole past the slot you just made, use your bent screwdriver to push the bottom of the spring and hit the bottom up into place. Another Youtube DIY.
Install the new brass bushings. Don't hit them with a hammer, they crush very easy. Push them in with a vise grip protected by flat edge or a block of wood. The top one pushes in from the top, the bottom one pushes in from the bottom. Now put the hinges together. If the pin wont pound flush, grind the knurled edge more.
Now you can install the door. The white paint makes lining up the door to the original position easy. If your doors were misaligned at the beginning you can now adjust them. Boom,,, no more loose doors!



Nice job!
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